


How Far We've Come

by WithTheMoonOnHerWings (orphan_account)



Series: Haikyuu- Soulmate!AU [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Mention of blood, soulmate!AU, violence- proceed with caution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-26 21:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6256876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/WithTheMoonOnHerWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate!AU: Where you have a compass on your skin, and it leads you to where your soulmate should be.</p><p>A short story featuring Iwaizumi Hajime, and the day he found his soulmate.</p><p>WARNING- mentions of violence, blood and foul language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Far We've Come

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! I wanted to continue writing Soulmate!AU short stories so here is one with Iwaizumi and the reader.  
> There is violence in the story, and mentions of blood, so proceed with caution!
> 
> I read this prompt somewhere on Tumblr, so this story was not my idea at all! Any feedback would be appreciated.
> 
> I have only posted the work here, so if you see it somewhere else (which I doubt), please contact me!

     “Shit! Don’t let her run away!” Your heart pounded hard against your ribcage as your muscles began to burn after you made your way around the corner. During your daily jog, you had encountered a gang of suspicious-looking men who were sneakily exchanging syringes filled with colourless liquid and transparent packets of white powder under their sleeves. You’d never run this course before, and you swore to never again as you bent over to catch your breath, quickly casting a glance back to make sure that no one was tailing you. With no other person within the radius, you slumped ungracefully onto the ground and wiped at the sweat running down on your heated skin, squirming slightly at the ticklish of sensuous feeling it left. 

People met their soulmates at the most wonderful and weird places on Earth, at times they had never expected, doing things that they thought of as nothing out of the ordinary. Your mother had met your father at the beach when her leg got a cramp and he had to help swim her back to shore, and your sibling had met theirs when they got lost on the university campus, trying to find their classroom and attend the lecture that had started exactly eleven minutes ago. No one had any idea of who or where their other half was, except the compass printed in harsh black ink against the underside of the wrist which would lead them to where their soulmate should be.

Now would be a good time to bump into him, so that he can save you from the men you were sure would never let you escape unharmed. You heard footsteps echoing through the alleyway you were hiding, tucked away in the shadows that contrasted greatly with the sunlight that beamed down on the roofs and cast bright beams of light to reflect off the cracked windows that allowed people to peek out of the dilapidated brick buildings. What you thought was a good place to hide suddenly seemed like the dumbest place to be, and you knew that in no time they would find you. And once they did, it would be all over in a flash; there was no doubt that they would torture you to keep their encounter under covers. Peeking over the trashcan, you could just make out the silhouette of a man examining a spot that you could easily fit into. And with no further thoughts, you quickly got up and sprinted away, leaving the mysterious shadows that concealed your location into the broad daylight that won’t hard even the tiniest speck of dust floating down onto the ground.

* * *

Iwaizumi wondered why he had gotten himself into this mess. He had decided to accompany Oikawa to attend Takeru’s volleyball practice but had ended up with gripping the little boy’s hand as they watched the Seijō captain socialise with the expanding crowd of females that seemed to flock from all directions. Takeru tugged on his hand, and the older boy glanced down to see what was the matter. He couldn’t focus on what Oikawa’s nephew was talking about and his eyes drifted over back at the girls. He had often wondered when he would find his soulmate, and a part of him wanted to find his before Oikawa did just to avoid the never-ending teasing he would ultimately suffer from if he didn’t.

Iwaizumi’s mother had shown him her compass that was still spinning as it followed her soulmate that could anywhere from just a few steps away from her to the opposite side of the world. His father was not the one but was the man who had impregnated her and had to marry to avoid the stares of the meddlesome neighbourhood. His father had found his soulmate, a former basketball player who had died in a devastating car crash. But even if he didn’t marry his mother, he wouldn’t have married his love, especially since his was of the same gender. The most they could be were the best of friends, and nothing more if they didn't want to be judged by society. Iwaizumi often found his father stroking lovingly at the faded compass imprinted onto his skin. His words echoed in his head, and he remembered being astounded when the man told his only son that you knew that you have found them when the needle disappeared without a trace, leaving an empty circle with the letters for North, East, South and West printed exactly 90º apart.

He gently let go of the boy’s hand and yelled at his childhood friend to get going otherwise he’ll go back home and do something more productive, like homework or going to the gym.

     “Iwachan! But you said that you wanted to come with me today! You can’t just leave me alone with Takeru! Last time he had the nerve to delete every single photo on my phone.” The tall boy made his way back to the two, and playfully nudged his nephew on the shoulder.

     “But your selfies are lame, Tōru! Even a dog could take better selfies than you!” Takeru playfully stuck his tongue out and hid behind Iwaizumi when Oikawa gave a gasp of indignation.

     “Why, you little!”

     “Easily getting riled up by a kid, and you’re meant to be the mature uncle!”

     “Hmph! See if I care if a ball hits you in the face!” The brown-haired boy quickly ushered them towards the gym without another word, and Iwaizumi could only chuckle at the turn of events.

* * *

     In the midst of escaping the alleyway, you did not notice the other men that were patrolling the open space outside. And from that carelessness, you were now trapped with the men forming a wall in front of you, and the rough brick wall stabbing painfully into your back. Your foot shuffled back and hit the trash cans to your right, causing the sound of metal clanging together to echo in the eerie atmosphere.

     “Someone, please save me.” Your voice wobbled under your breath and you held out your arms to put something between yourself and the men.

     “You fucking better keep quiet if you don’t want us to hurt you, bitch.” The hand immediately made contact with your cheek, and you couldn’t help but hiss out in pain. Your eyes welled up with tears and your hand immediately flew up to cradle the reddening skin.

     “Please, I promise I won’t tell anyone!” But your plea only encouraged the men to slap you even harder on the other cheek, and you cried out.

     “Shut your bloody mouth, missy, and we’ll keep it short.” Soon fists were flying and you couldn’t dodge them, and had to bite your lip as each punch landed on you. The metallic tang of blood soon reached your taste buds and you buried the urge to spit it out into their face. A leg kicked your stomach, and you felt all the air leave your lungs. You felt your head being pulled back as someone roughly seized your hair, and received a blow just beneath your eye.

     “This missy still hasn’t found her soulmate yet,” A thick calloused finger traced around the print and you struggled to pull your arm from his grasp.

     “Let go! Please! I beg of you!” But the hand seemed to tighten even more, and you could sense him leering at the needle that moved rapidly, sensing that your soulmate could be close by.

     “What’s going on?” A voice broke out from the buzz of violence, and you could only collapse in relief. The boy who spoke out looked dangerous, with his blond hair accented with black stripes, but there was a part of you that knew that you could trust him to bring you to safety. His eyes met yours and you couldn't stop yourself from giving him the tiniest smile.

     “Crap! Let’s go, boys. I think we’ve got the point across.” You could only make out a blurry image of what happened after as your eye started to swell shut.

     “Thank you.” He held out his hand and you gripped it thankfully. Attempting to pull yourself up, you had realised that the blow to your ankle must have twisted it and you groaned in discomfort.

     “Are you okay? What's your name?” But before he got an answer, you slumped into his arms and you succumbed to the darkness that was much more welcoming than the throbbing pain of your body. On your wrist, the needle continued to spin energetically.

* * *

 Iwaizumi remembered that the faster the needle spun, the closer your soulmate was. And he guessed that this made sense, as when the distance between the two of you decreased, each step in any direction would cause the needle to swing more and more wildly. From the beginning of his memories, he had recalled watching the needle inch a little either to the left or right. 

     “Okay, kids! Break for ten minutes and Iwa-chan would teach you all how to spike!” A chorus of happy cheers broke out as Oikawa clapped his hands. Soon children were running in all directions; to their mothers, to their friends and even to other children who were playing soccer outside.

     “Tōru! I’m going out to play with my friends!” Takeru waved his arm wildly and ran off when the older boy gave a nod of his head.

   “Iwa-chan? Are you okay? You’ve been surprisingly quiet since the start.” Oikawa sat down on the floor next to his best friend and saw him squinting at the phone. “Do you need me to teach you how to find the app again?”

     “Shut up. That was because you changed the icons and I couldn’t find it.” Iwaizumi stuck his hand out and flicked him on the forehead. “Kyōtani messaged me asking where I was.”

     “Mad Dog? The one who never replied to our LINE conversations, had voluntarily messaged you?”

     “You mean your LINE messages. He always replied whenever I messaged him, but he had never texted more than one word back, and especially never asked for help.” He held his phone out to Oikawa to view the message, and the brown-haired boy hummed under his breath.

     “Do you know when he’s getting here?”

     “He should be here soon; he said he was only a few blocks away.”

     "I wonder what happened..." The doors suddenly flung open, stopping Oikawa's thoughts. A boy was standing in the doorway, panting heavily as he shifted the unconscious girl in his arms. "Mad Dog?!"

     "Please help, she suddenly collapsed after a group of men attacked her." The blond ran to the third-years and Iwaizumi watched your head bob with each step the boy took. Your hair had come loose and swayed under his arms, and blood dripped from cuts on your skin onto the wooden floor.

     "Gosh, look at her face. Mad Dog, just carefully place her on the floor. Iwachan, go and get the first aid kit. We should be able to fix the superficial injuries." Oikawa ordered and quickly hunted through his bag to find a towel that could be used as a pillow. Kyōtani gingerly placed you on the floor and grimaced at the injuries which tainted your skin. 

     "Tōru!" Takeru ran over to his uncle with a portable first aid kit. "Okaa-san packed an emergency one for me, so you could use this for now!" He passed the bag to him and glanced up to look at the stranger. "Did you dye your hair yourself? You should teach Tōru how to do his hair since he takes like ten years in the bathroom getting ready."

     "Rude!" His hand closed around the disinfectant, and he quickly opened the bottle and soaked a cloth with its content. "Is she still unconscious?"

     "Yeah." Kneeling down next to the captain, Kyōtani carefully brushed the hair out of your face so that Oikawa could wipe your face.

     "At least she won't be able to feel the pain." He gently dabbed the rag onto the cut on your cheek.

     "Look at her compass! The needle's flying like crazy!" And indeed, it was frantically swinging to the right before turning to the left and back to the right. The needle suddenly stopped its motion and pointed towards the doors.

     "Oikawa! I've got the first-aid kit!" Iwaizumi jogged towards them and Oikawa could finally piece it all together. He made a move to help remove your shoes to examine the damage, but the brown-haired boy held his arm out stopping him.

     "Don't touch her, Iwachan." Oikawa glanced up to see Iwaizumi's shocked face. Kyōtani remained silent as he untied the shoelaces and Takeru carefully placed your hand back on the ground.

     "What do you mean, don't touch her? But she's injured and she needs all the help she can get!"

     "She's your soulmate, Iwaizumi. I think she would want to meet you when she's awake." Iwaizumi's mouth dropped open and he sat back. Soulmate? You? But that must be true as when he shifted from his spot on the ground, the needle moved dramatically on his compass to continue pointing at you. It felt like an eternity had passed when most of your injuries were treated. After the initial bout of shock, Iwaizumi silently stood up and announced that he was going to get an ice-pack for your eye. Kyōtani was quietly recounting what had happened to Oikawa, who could only nod grimly. 

     "The only person she'll recognise is you, Mad Dog, so can you stay here until she wakes up?" The blond nodded. "I'll better call the kids in and teach them how to spike. Iwachan won't have the right mindset now."

* * *

If you had to describe to anyone the feeling of awakening from the darkness and numbness of unconsciousness to the bright and painful world that was called reality, all the words in the universe would not be enough to describe how you felt. It felt as though a million hammers were simultaneously bashing every square centimetre of your skin, and you couldn't hold back the groan of pain that seemed to resonate in the empty gym. Shoes stopped squeaking and you heard someone sit down next to you.

     "Are you okay?" You slowly turned your head and saw the blond boy who had saved you earlier sitting next to you.

     "I've been better. Where am I?" You tried to get up but he pushed you back to the ground. The entire gym was silent, and you had assumed that all the people who were here earlier today had left to go back home.

     "You're safe here. Do you remember what happened?" A deeper voice spoke out, and you glanced in the opposite direction to see the dark-haired boy. His green eyes were laced with worry and you gave a slow nod in reply. You held your arm up in front of your eyes but they didn't seem to concentrate on the direction the needle was pointing, so you closed your eyes whilst pinching the bridge of your nose.

     "I was jogging when I saw a gang of men exchanging illegal drugs. They saw me, so they chased me and beat me up." You stretched your hand out and patted Kyōtani's knee weakly. "Thank you so much for intervening."

     "It's nothing."

     "We'll take you back home." They both stood up, but Kyōtani started to walk towards the doors. "Where are you going, Kyōtani?"

     "I have to get going. I'll see you at practice on Monday." He waved his hand and exited the gym.

     "He had the nerve to leave an injured, beautiful girl all by herself?" A handsome boy suddenly popped into view and you raised your eyebrow. At least that didn't send any tingles of pain, unlike opening your mouth to speak.

     "Beautiful? I'm sure you've seen prettier girls who look and feel better than shit." Iwaizumi let out a guffaw and Oikawa pretended to not hear what you had said.

   "I'm Oikawa, and this is Iwaizumi. Since we are noble gentlemen, we'll take you back home." He lifted you up from under your armpits and told Iwaizumi to cradle you in his arms. “Be careful of the ankle, Iwachan. Try not to let it bang into anything.” As he stood up and ensured that you were comfortable, only the males noticed the needles of the compasses slowly fade away. Iwaizumi's heart pounded harder against his chest, and he wondered if you could that his heart was racing, that his hands were starting to get sweaty, that his breaths were becoming shallower and faster. He wondered how he would tell you that he was your soulmate.  
   
    "What’s your name?” His voice came out gruffer than usual and he hastily cleared his throat. You didn't notice it and carefully looped your arms around his broad shoulders.

     “I’m (L/n) (F/n). Guessing we're at the community gym, I live around five streets away." You raised your arm to point in the general direction of your house. "Thank you so much, Iwaizumi-kun, Oikawa-kun."

     "It's fine." Roughened hands gripped the underside of your legs and dug into the fabric of your shirt, and although the fingertips were calloused and firm, against your skin they felt like the warmest and gentlest hands in the world. Your breath hitched as he shifted you higher up on his chest and you tightened your arms in response.

      "We should get a move on if we are planning to make full use of the daylight." The sky was gradually darkening to a midnight-blue, but the streetlights have yet to turn on. "It's not safe for a girl to be roaming the streets in the dark."

     "But I've got two noble gentlemen by my side, what is there to be afraid of?"

* * *

     "So you both play volleyball?" The conversation had slipped from the weather to what school you attended before you reached the school clubs. The lights had finally flickered on and it gave the roads an eerie glow.

     "Yeah, and the guy carrying you is our amazingly capable and dependable ace!" The taller boy bumped Iwaizumi's shoulder playfully, and the latter's cheeks reddened. "Whenever I'm in a pinch, I just set the ball to him and he'll spike it past the blockers!"

     "Shut up."

     "No need to be so modest, Iwachan!"

     "I'll have to agree with Oikawa-kun on this, Iwaizumi-kun. Not everyone can do that if they were placed on the court." You gave him a bright smile and he couldn't help but grin back.

     "Hey. isn't she that bitch who saw us this morning?" The three of you turned towards the direction of the voice, and you recognised the men who were lurking in the shadows. You swore quietly and Iwaizumi caught your eyes. A slight nod of your head told him that those were the people who had beaten you up earlier.

     "That's her. Should we finish what we started?" They finally emerged from the dark and metal batons glimmered from their fists. "You two handle that one, and the rest will target this one so that he will let her go." Iwaizumi cursed under his breath and quickly tugged on Oikawa's sleeve.

     "Oikawa. Don't worry about us and quickly run back home. Call the police while you're at it." He roughly shoved him to the left and you presumed that was the route Oikawa usually took to go back home.

     "But I can help you, Iwachan! You won't have a chance against them, especially with those poles!"

      "Just listen to me! Run while you have the chance!" Oikawa hesitated and Iwaizumi gave the final shove. "Go!" The taller boy sprinted down the road and your eyes lost track of him when he finally blended in with the shadows.

      "No matter what happens, (L/n)-san, don't let go!" He flung you over his shoulder and onto his back and your limbs quickly wound themselves around his torso. He turned abruptly and ran in the opposite direction of Oikawa and further from the direction of your house. You heard the men shout and chase after him, and you wished again that your soulmate would come and save you from this mess.

     "Fuck!" One of the poles flew towards you and Iwaizumi quickly whirled around so that it wouldn't land on you. In return, it hit his arm which he had brought forward to shield himself. A large gash was all that remained as evidence and blood flowed out. You couldn't help the gasp you let out and he hoisted you even higher. He continued to run, weaving through empty streets but soon the men were gaining up, and Iwaizumi made the wrong turn towards the dead-end.

      "You've got nowhere to run. If you leave the girl here, then we'll let you go unharmed..." The man who had slapped you came forward, swinging the metal baton in a carefree manner.

     "I won't abandon her." Iwaizumi gently set you on the ground and rose to his full height in front of the gang. 

     "Oh really? The bitch's prince charming has come to save her?" The boy let out a growl before lunging forward. His fist collided with the man's jaw and he howled out in pain. "Get them, boys! Don't let any of them escape without a proper beating!" You knew that Iwaizumi would never stand a chance against six grown men, especially when they were high on drugs and armed with blunt weapons.

     "Go! Just leave me here, Iwaizumi-kun!" Your outburst startled the boy and the men made use of this opportunity to swing their baton. It connected soundly with his stomach and he fell, letting out a growl. You hobbled as quickly as you could to his side, but two others linked their arms with yours and lifted you up into the air. The man who was punched by Iwaizumi came up to you and swung the metal baton at your injured ankle. You screamed and flailed wildly, trying desperately to get away. A third man held your legs together lest you aimed for their crotch.

     "(L/n)-san!" He swung at your ankle again and you were sure that everyone could physically hear the bones shatter. Your ear-splitting scream drowned out Iwaizumi's shout, and he could only watch in horror as the man continued to hit you with the metal baton.

     "Run! Please!" You could no longer hear what you were shouting as pain flooded your entire body and tears streamed down your face. A bundle of cloth was roughly shoved into your mouth and soon you were mumbling incoherent phrases. Iwaizumi staggered upright. He knew that he had to stop this. He knew that he had to protect you. He knew that he had to save his soulmate. Lunging again, he managed to rip you out of their grasps and collapse onto the floor. He positioned himself that he could shield you from any blows and gently pried the cloth from your teeth.

     "Iwaizumi-kun..." You lifted your arm slowly to cradle his face and noticed the needle of your compass had disappeared. The men continued to wield the poles and his arms began to tremble. "Iwaizumi-kun?" Your gaze shifted to his green eyes and finally noticed why you felt as though you could trust him with your entire being. His eyes, filled with worry, gave you a sense of belonging, of comfort, of love. "You're my soulmate, right?"

     "(L/n)-san..." He gave a small smile before he collapsed on your form.

     "Iwaizumi-kun!" He remained unresponsive as his body continued to get beaten by the men in the dark street, lit dimly by streetlights.

* * *

 If he had to describe to anyone the feeling of awakening from the darkness and numbness of unconsciousness to the bright and painful world that was called reality, he would just punch them in the gut. His skin continued to buzz and he could feel the metal poles hitting his skin repeatedly, even though he was now safely tucked into the hospital bed. Iwaizumi glanced around and recognised Oikawa's slumped form on the chair next to the bed, as well as Hanamaki and Matsukawa, fast asleep on the couch. The clock on the wall told him that it was in the very early hours of the morning and he wondered how they had managed to stay in the room after visiting hours.

     "Iwaizumi-kun?" A feminine voice spoke out in the darkness and he turned his head sharply. You were laying on the bed next to him, with your leg hoisted up in the air and ankle in a cast.

     "(L/n)-san? Are you alright? What happened after I blacked out?" He tried to get out of the bed but the IV drip stopped him.

     "I'm alright. Still feel like shit, but it's just a broken ankle." You tried to give him a reassuring smile, but sighed when he continued to glare at the cast as though it was his fault. "Not long after, Oikawa came with the police, and they arrested all the men on the scene. Your friends Hanamaki-kun and Matsukawa-kun came along as well, and they were the ones who lifted you onto the stretcher. The nurse said that you would have to stay here for the night so that they can monitor your condition and ensure that you don't have a concussion."

     "I shouldn't have lunged at them at the beginning. If I didn't, then your ankle wouldn't be like this. I'm so sorry, (L/n)-san."

     "It's really not your fault. I should be the one thanking you."

     "That's what soulmates are for." He stretched out his arm for you to see the empty compass. 

     "So my soulmate did end up saving me..." You couldn't help but stretch your own finger and traced the marked skin of his wrist. Shivers ran up his arm but couldn't find it in himself to pull away. Your eyes flickered up to meet his and you gave him a genuine smile. "Please, call me (F/n)."

     "And you can call me Hajime." He turned his arm and held your hand in a reassuring grip. Delicate, smooth fingers intertwined with rough, calloused ones. Green eyes staring intently at (eye colour) ones. Breaths coming out fast, and heart racing even faster. Iwaizumi was your soulmate, and he really did save you from harm.

     "You guys should rest if you want to get out of the hospital soon." Oikawa's groggy voice broke the comfortable silence and he stretched his back from the uncomfortable position.  "Iwachan, good to have you back here with us."

     "Thanks for your help, Oikawa." Iwaizumi reached out his hand to playfully ruffle the taller boy's hair and chuckled when Oikawa let out a whine. "Don't worry, I didn't ruin your bedhead."

     "Oikawa's right. Go to bed, kiddos." A deep voice came from the direction of the couch. The light from the hallways caught the pink-brown hair of Hanamaki and he gave a sly grin. "Since I carried your heavy ass onto the stretcher, Iwaizumi, I want cream puffs once you can leave."

     "I want cheese-filled hamburg steak."

     "You're up top, Matsukawa?" Iwaizumi wondered aloud.

     "If Makki and Mattsun get to order food, I want milk bread! If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here right now sleeping in uncomfortable positions to stay by your side." Oikawa stuck his tongue out.

     "Go to sleep, Shittykawa. You too, Hanamaki, Matsukawa." Iwaizumi grumbled under his breath.

     "Good night!" The three boys chimed.

     "Good night, Hajime." You gave his hand a final squeeze before you let go.

     "Good night, (F/n)."

* * *

People met their soulmates at the most wonderful and weird places on Earth, at times they had never expected, doing things that they thought of as nothing out of the ordinary. You met your soulmate, Iwaizumi, the day you ran into trouble and wished to meet your other half to save you.


End file.
